Vending machine



Filed Aug. 22,

gnoafnfoz Patented Novo i3, 1%23.

BARRY R. MITCHELL,

COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASHNGTON, A CORPORTION OF WASHINGTON.

vnnnine rancrrinn.

Application nled August 22, E322.

To all whom t may concern Be it knovvnthat l, HARRY l. MITCHELL, a citizen ot the United States ot America, and resident of thecity of Seattle, in the county ot King and State of lWashington, have invented certain neiv and useful lmprovements in Vending lviachines, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to a vending machine of the type which is intended to deliver a single package, after Which the coin is locked Within the machine, to be removed later, as when the machine is reloaded.

The principal object of my invention is to simplify and condense such vending machines, and in this manner to cheap-en their Cost of production, to make them more reliable in use, and to adapt them for use in places Where the available space is restricted.

A further object is to provide means which are of the simplest character whereby only coins of the proper size Will be accepted, and whereby coins of smaller' size Will be rejected by the machine and returned to the intending purchaser.

A further object is the provision ot means for closing or obstructing the coin slot When the single package has been delivered.

A further object is the provision of means whereby the package contained Within the machine is protected against tampering by a `gate which closes oil the delivery opening.

My invention con'iprises those novel parts and combinations thereot which are shown in the accompanying drawings, described in the specification, and particularly' dened by the claims terminating the same.

ln the accompanying drawings l have shown my invention in the toi'mii'liich is now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation ot the vending machine, the back cover being removed, and parte being broken away, and the machine being shoivn loaded and in position to deliver a package.

Figure 2 is a vieiv similar to Figure 1 showing parts in the position they Will assume during the process ot delivering a package.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3 of F igure 1. p

lt should be kept in mind throughout that one of my principal objects is to produce a vending machine which is et simple yet dan l package.

y The dog 3 is pivoted at 31 Serial No. 583,656.

able construction. My machine is intended tor use about public places to vend a single package, as, for instance, et chewing gum, and may conveniently be placed in street cars upon thel space between two windows. lt follows that it must be small and compact. As it is desired to vend only a single pack-l age, the dimensions ot the machine are intended to be but slightly greater than the dimensions of the package of gum itself.

A casing 1 encloses a chamber which contains t-he package P ot gum, and the vending mechanism. lt is provided near its upper end with a coin slot 10, and below the coin slot with a slot 11, which to distinguish it l shall call the rejecting slot. lt also has a delivery opening 12 for the package on gum, this being preferably in the bottom of the casing and freely open to the package chamber, so that the gum is delivered to a large extent, if not Wholly, by gravity. A. back 13 `terms the support for the casing 1 and the two are provided with any suitable means for securing them together, as, for instance, a linger 14 carried by the casing 1 which is engageable in a slot 15 in the backl e 13, and apertured lugs 16 which are adapted to receive a lock L. rlhe particular means oiz securing the casing and its back together are unimportant, however.

Within the casing 1 is positioned a gate 2 which is movable into and out of the path of the package P, to support it Within the casing o1' to permit it to drop through the delivery opening'. The gate 2 is shown as pivoted at 21, at one side of the path of the When moved into a horizontal position as shown in Figures 1 and 3 the gate supports the package and prevents its ejection. but when swung down into the position shown in Figure 2, by gravity or otherwise, it permits the package to drop `From the casing. Y

ln order to hold the gate in closed position I provide a dog 3 which is engageable therewith or with a lug 23 carried thereby. l have illustrated the operating parts as mounted upon a plate 19 Which is secured Within the casing 1, and the lug 23 projects through a slot 18 formed in this plate 19. upon the plate 19 and is normally held in position to engage the lun 23 by means of a spring 32. lt is inclined upon .its lowerv face so that in ren @til turning the gate 2 to its closed position the lug 23 will ride over the inclined surface to the upper side of the dog.

Means are provided for releasing the dog, and in order to simplify the construction the release finger l forms a part of the dog 3 itself. A coin chute is formed as an arm 5 which is pivoted at 51, and extends `from a point in registry with the coin slot i() at its upper end to its lower termination 52, which portion 52 extends outwardly through the rejection slot 1l. Guides 53 are substantially `continuous from end to end o1e the 'arm` 5 to guide the coin entering Vat l0 through the slot 11, unless it is large enough to be intercepted lby means to be described.

A spring 5() is shown for maintaining the arm -5 in normal position, with the portion 52 projected.

The arm 5 and its coin guide 53 are notched as indicated at 5e. at a position which will register with the release finger Ll. Ordinarily it' the projection 52 is pushed inward to swing the arm 5 on its pivot, there will be no engagement between the arm and the release finger 4, inasmuch as the notch 5ft lncludes but does not touch the finger. A

coin stop 55 is provided opposite the notch 54:, this being spaced from the coin guide 53 by an amount ,which is less than the width of the proper coin. As a coin of proper size passes down the chute it is intercepted between the stop 55 and the guide 52% and is held in a position to partially or wholly close over the notch 54. In such position, as is shown in Figure 2, the coin C engages directly the finger 4 to move the dog 3 :trom engagement with the lug 23, thus t0 permit the gate 2 to drop, and releasing the package P.

I may provide a plate 6 which acts as an ejector, and which is supported for sliding in the casing l by pins 6l. This plate 6 is 'urged towards the delivery opening by a spring 66, but by reason of its engagement by the package oit gum when the machine is loaded the spring is placed under tension. A plate 62 forms a part of the plate 6, and is positioned adjacent the coin slot l0. l/Vhen the plate 6 is permitted to move by the delivery of the package,this plate 62 will obstruct the coin slot l0 and prevent the insertion of a lsecond coin therein. The principal unction of the plate 6, then, is to act asa feeler to contact with the package, and to perm-it movement oi" the obstructing plate 62 only when the package has been de livered.

In this device I have provided a vending machine in which the coin chute itself functions in threeI ways, to guide and hold the proper coin, to reject a smaller coin, and as its own plunger, that is to say, the portion 52 of the chute which projects trom *the casingl forms 'the plunger which 1s Lef/3,828

pushed to actuate the delivery of the jiackage. Since the coin chute is fpivotcd to swing upon its pivot point 51 it Ylollows that when the chute is thrust inwardly at its lower end by manually pushing upon the projecting portion 52 thereof, a coin of the proper size, lying in said chute will act against the release finger el and will thrust the dog rearwardly to release said dog from its engagement with the lug 23 of thegate, thus permitting the gate to drop and consequently permitting the package l? to fall trom the machine through the opening l2.

lt' a coin olf the improper size is placed in.

the chute the coin will not function as stated but, it a penny` has been placedin the chute instead ot' a nichel, for example, Y

said penny will pass on through the chute and be ejected through the 'rejecting opening ll. Thus it norcoin oil proper size is in the chute at the time that the lower end ot the chute' is thrust inwardly, the gateis not released. When a coin ot' proper size has been deposited and the machine has been operated. the coin remains in the position illustrated in F ig. 2 until an authorized person opens the casing and removes the coin and recharges the casing with a fresh supply ot the article to be vended. l have combined in al very small compass an e'tiective and durable vending machine with itew parts and yet one which will operate perfectly. It is, of course, necessary to remove the. casing l from its supporting back 18 to remove the coin. C, but it is also necessary, once the package P has been sold, to replace it witha fresh package, and at this time the coin can he removed. The com, however, is held sately in the vending machine until this time. The delivery opening lies immediately below the package-receiving chamber, so that the package can .beddelivered by gravity, and requires no delivery mechanism, and yet it is protectedagainst tampering. The entire device comprises but tour working parts, the coin chute armV 5, the dog 3, the gate 2, and the combined ejector and obstructing plate 6,62.

llilhat l claim as my invention is :V

lli.)

l. .ln a coin-controlled device, in coin- V bination with a casing'having a coin slot masses and a rejecting slot, a coin chute mounted for bodily movement within the casing having one end in registry with said com slot, and terminating at its other end in a rejecting chute projecting from said reject-ing slot, means in said coin chute for intercepting a coin ofthe proper size, a delivery gat-e and a releasing means 'for said gate disposed in the path of the held coin when the coin chute is manually moved.

3. In a coin-controlled device, in colmbination with a casing having a coin slot and a rejecting slot, a coin chute pivoted within the casing having its upper end in registry with the coin slot, and having its opposite end projecting from the rejecting slot, said chute having continuous coin guides leading from thecoin slot to the rejecting slot, and having means for intercepting a coin of proper size.

4. In a vending machine, in combination with a casing having a coin slot and a rejectingslot, a coin chute pivoted within the casing having one end in registry with said coin slot, and its other end projecting from said rejecting slot, means within the coin chute for intercepting a coin of proper size, and means operable as a package is delivered to obstruct said coin slot.

5. In a vending machine, a casing adapted to receive a package and having a delivery opening, a gate adapted to close said opening, a spring-held dog engageable with said gate to retain it in closed position, a linger operable to release said dog, an arm pivoted within the casing and having a notch registering with said release linger, means projecting from the casing for swinging said arm upon its pivot, and means carried by said arm for holding a coin in position to contact with said release linger.

6. In a vending machine, a casing adapted to receive a package and having a delivery opening, a gate adapted to close said delivery opening, a spring-held dog engageable with said gate to ret-ain it in closed position, a releasing linger carried by said dog, a coin chute formed as an arm pivoted within the casing and having a notch registering with said release finger, said coin chute terminating outside of the casing whereby said arm may be swung upon its pivot, and means carried by said arm for holding a coin in position to contact with said release linger.

7. In a vending machine, a casing adapted to receive a package and having a coin slot and a delivery opening, a gate adapted to close said opening, a spring-held dog engageable with said gate to retain it in closed position, a finger operable to release Said dog, an arm pivoted within the casing and having a notch registering with said release lingers, means projecting from the casing for swinging said arm upon its pivot, means carried by said arm for holding a coin in position to contact with said release finger, a spring-pressed package ejector including a plate positioned adjacent the coin slot, and movable as a package is ejected to close said coin slot.

8. In a vending machine, a casing adapted to receive a single package and having a coin slot, a rejecting slot, and a delivery opening, a gravityactuated gate pivoted to close said delivery opening or to swing therefrom, a spring-held dog engageable directly with said Gate to retain it in closed position, a release linger carried by said dog, a coin chute formed as an arm pivoted within the casing with its upper end in registry with the coin chute, its lower end being formed as a rejecting chute projecting through the rejecting slot for manipulation to swing the arm upon its pivot, said arm having a notch in registry with the release finger, coin guides upon said arm leading from the coin slot through the rejecting slot, and means for intercepting a coin of the proper size and for holding it in position to contact with said release linger.

9. In a vending machine, in combination with a casing having a coin slot, a rejecting slot and a delivery opening, a coin chute pivoted for movement in the casing and having its lower end projectin through the rejecting slot, means in said c ute for intercepting and holding a coin of proper size, a notch in said chute positioned to be closed by a coin so held, means for closing the delivery opening, a dog for retaining said means in closed position and dog releasing means positioned opposite said notch to be engaged by an intercepted coin when the lower end of the chute -is thrust inwardly.

Signed at Seattle, King County,

Washington, this 15th day of August, 1922.

HARRY R. MITCHELL. 

